Negative
by general wildcat
Summary: The Wildcats have gone their separate ways and went about their lives. But each of them has their issues and it's taking a toll on them. And when they get a letter inviting them and their families to East High's ten year reunion, things can only get more negative. Co-written with xxCoolStoryStoryBroxx. Troyella Chaylor Peypay


This is a new story co-written with my friend xxCoolStoryBroxx. We used to roleplay High School Musical with friends and after we got back in contact with each other we started talking about what would happen if there would be a High School Musical reunion and we started planning the characters, issues, and everything. So we hope you enjoy the first chapter of our fanfiction! :)

**Disclaimer: Neither I or xxCoolStoryBroxx own High School Musical.**

* * *

IF there were two things that Chad Danforth loved more than anything else they were basketball and his family. The days when Chad wasn't coaching the University of Albuquerque's basketball team were the days he'd be at home watching over his two kids. He was amazed at how much they grew so fast and that he could pinpoint exactly what they got from whom.

Nathan was so much like his father; he had Chad's wild curly hair and his dark brown eyes. Nathan ran around a lot like a big ball of energy and wanted to prove how great at stuff he was. He wanted to be a leader and do what he wanted. He knew when he was being copied; his sister mimicked him all the time. He was such a rebel and rarely listed to anyone. Defying authority was his gift. He'd play games all day and every time he figured something out he would jump up and down and yell, "Watch what I can do!" His eagerness to learn and ability to catch onto things quickly was from his mother.

When people saw the kids, they always assumed that Jasmine was the troublemaker because she was in the terrible two's. No one would suspect that she was the more well-behaved of the two. She did what her parents told her to do and knew when she was in trouble, which was something she loathed. Unlike Nathan who loved to run a riot, Jasmine was happier to just sit around and look through books or draw pictures. Her calm demeanor and insightful mind was her mother's, as well as her wavy brown hair and smile. What she got from Chad was his eyes and his chaos. No matter how well behaved Jasmine was, she was probably the messiest person Chad had ever seen.

Fatherhood looked good on Chad; he'd grown up so much since high school. Back then he was the kind of guy who would get in trouble just for speaking his mind during class and he would do anything just for his basketball. He was never the sharpest tool in the shed. But if there was one thing Chad knew it was that the people closest to him meant everything. Chad's family was tightly knit growing up. He was the oldest of four siblings, all girls. They were all spread out now of course, but Chad had always been protective of them. They were the ones he went to for advice. He credited his marriage to his sisters in fact. If it weren't for them helping him out when he screwed up and got along so well with Taylor, Chad would have no idea where he'd have ended up. Chad was with Taylor all through senior year of high school. They were the couple no one thought would last because they were direct opposites of each other. She was the nerd and he was the jock. She was laid back and studious while he was energetic and childish. They were supposed to be a high school fling. Even though despite that, they worked well with each other. Their friends were shocked when Chad and Taylor stayed together after graduation. She went to Yale and he went to U of A. But long distance got the better of them and they broke up.

The breakup didn't last long, however. Taylor had been the one to keep Chad grounded and focused. Without her even his athletic skills were thrown off. So when he knew something was missing he confronted his sisters; of course they told him what he already knew. Two days later he flew out to the East Coast to see Taylor. It didn't matter that they had a major falling out the year before or that they were on separate ends of the country. It just seemed like they never spent a day apart from each other. They've been together ever since. Now Chad worked at his former college and Taylor was in politics, working under the governor of New Mexico. It was a pretty charmed life, and one Chad couldn't be more thankful for.

"Yeah, I did it! I won again!" Nathan cheered, throwing his game controller onto the floor.

Chad chuckled and turned off the game system. "Looks like you did. You beat me at Super Monkey Ball again, Nate."

"I the bestest, right?" Nathan asked hopefully. "I gots a new big score!"

Jasmine, who was sitting on the other side of the living room, glanced up from her coloring book. "Nathan you no tawk so loud? I twying to color," she pouted.

"Why does Jazzy gets to color? I wants to color, too," Nathan complained.

"Ok Nathan, you can color with Jazz," Chad said. He went over to the bookshelf to grab a coloring book, which was just a little too high for Nathan to reach. "What do you wanna color?"

"Cars!" he piped up instantly.

Chad took the Cars coloring book and flipped through it briefly, "Nate it looks like you already colored all the pages…"

"Cars!" he repeated.

Chad sighed and handed the four-year-old the coloring book. Nathan grabbed it and ran over to sit next to Jasmine. He reached over for the crayons but Jasmine gasped and fought back.

"No! My cwayons!"

"Lemme color, too! Gimme!" Nathan insisted. He grabbed the purple crayon.

Jasmine retaliated by grabbing the other end of it. They tugged back and forth at the crayon until it broke. Nathan pointed to Jasmine.

"Jazzy did it!"

Jasmine's eyes watered as she looked up at her father. "I sowwy." She rubbed her eyes as if she was about to cry.

Chad picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "It's ok, Jazz. It wasn't anyone's fault," he promised. He then looked to Nathan. "See, this is what happens when you fight over something. Can you two share the crayons?"

"No," Nathan folded his arms.

"If you don't share then you won't get any cookies tonight," Chad said.

"I wants cookies! I can share," Nathan quickly changed his mind. He quickly pushed half the crayons to Jasmine's coloring book and pulled the other half towards his. "See? I share! I get cookies now?"

"After dinner. But I'm proud of you for sharing," Chad nodded.

Jasmine sniffed and looked up at Chad again. "I sowwy."

"It's ok, everything's better now," he promised kissing her head. He set her down and Jasmine ran back to her coloring book. Chad turned off the TV and cleared the messy pile of games Nathan had formed earlier. He watched form the corner of his eye as the kids colored in peace. He let out a sigh of relief. It stayed relatively quiet, or at least as quiet as it could get, until Taylor walked in the door a half hour later.

"I'm home," she said.

Nathan jumped to his feet and ran over to Taylor, barely giving her a chance to put her pocketbook down. "Mommy, mommy! I beated Dad in my Monkey Ball game!"

"Did you, now?" she asked kissing his forehead.

"Uh-huh," he nodded. "I got like a bajillion!"

"I let him win," Chad muttered in his competitive nature.

Taylor quickly shushed him before turning back to Nathan. "Well I'm very proud of you for kicking Daddy's butt."

"I know," Nathan grinned. "I good."

Jasmine ripped out a page from her coloring book and toddled up to Taylor. "Mama," she said tugging at Taylor's pant leg. "I colored dis for you. Do you likes it?" She held up the picture to Taylor.

"It's very pretty, honey. I love it," Taylor smiled looking at the picture. She picked up Jasmine. "I'm going to put it on the refrigerator where everyone can see it."

Jasmine smiled and cuddled up to her mother. She yawned and rested her head on Taylor's shoulder.

"Chad, did you remember to put the kids down for a nap today?" Taylor inquired.

Shoot, Chad knew he forgot to do something. "Uh…" he stammered. He looked at Jasmine, who was falling asleep in Taylor's arms, then at Nathan who was steadily losing energy and wobbling on his feet. "I should probably get them to sleep for a little while," Chad decided. He took Nathan's hand and helped him keep his balance, then took Jasmine from Taylor. "By the way, good to see you, too," he smiled to her.

Taylor grinned and kissed her husband. "I know," she giggled.

Chad rolled his eyes and smiled. He took the kids upstairs and put them in their respective rooms. He tucked Nathan into his bed first, and then laid Jasmine down in her crib. Once they were sound asleep Chad went back downstairs to find Taylor in the kitchen. She hung up the picture Jasmine gave her on the fridge and took a moment to admire it and then walked over to the counter where she began looking through the mail. Chad walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"See anything you like?" he asked.

Taylor glanced at him and smirked, "I do now." They shared another kiss before Taylor went back to looking through the mail.

"Wow, I'm better than paper," Chad joked.

"I don't know, I think paper would actually get their children to take their naps," she thought aloud.

"I'm sorry," Chad apologized. "We were playing Chutes and Ladders and then after lunch Jazz wanted to color so Nathan and I played video games. I guess we just lost track of time."

"All I'm saying is that they need sleep," Taylor said. "Nathan starts preschool next month and I don't want to get a call from his teacher saying he's running around and disturbing the other kids when he's supposed to be napping with them."

"Point taken," he nodded. "I'll be better tomorrow."

"Good. Oh, and one more thing?" she replied.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Taylor handed him the envelopes, "Junk mail goes in the garbage, Chad. Not the counter."

"So then that means I gaze Jazz…" Chad's voice trailed off. We went back to the living room to find the coloring books back on the shelf. He took Jasmine's Winnie the Pooh book and removed a couple of envelopes from inside. He showed them to Taylor, to which she was surprised to see colorful scribbles all around them. Chad chuckled nervously.

"Right…" she said, taking them from him. Luckily it wasn't mail of too much importance. "And how old were you, again?"

"Old enough to kiss you?" he asked hopefully.

Taylor thought for a moment. "That's debatable," she answered giving Chad a playful nudge. She then looked at one of the pieces of mail curiously, "Oh we've got something from East High."

"What is it?" Chad asked.

Taylor put the rest of the mail on the coffee table and opened the envelope. "It's an invitation to our high school reunion."

"For when?" Chad wondered.

"Two weeks," she said.

"And I thought I was a procrastinator," Chad said to himself.

"Do you think we should go? It is kind of short notice," Taylor observed.

"Well it would be nice to see everyone again. I haven't talked to Troy in ages," Chad said.

"Do you think we'll be able to find someone to watch the kids?" she asked.

"We can take them with us. I'm sure we're not the only ones with kids," Chad said.

Taylor sighed and sat on the couch. "I don't know. They can be such a handful and there's so much work to do."

"It's only for a weekend. It won't kill us," Chad said sitting next to Taylor.

"I suppose…"

"Don't you wanna go and see how everyone else turned out?"

"I'll admit it would be nice to see everyone again. But compared to what we have now high school just seems to trivial."

"So you don't wanna rub it in everyone's faces and say, 'Wow you guys turned out horrible' and 'Look at me, I'm working for the governor now'."

"Hey, I don't sound anything like that."

Chad chuckled. "I know. I just mean that high school probably wasn't the greatest time for us cause you know, we were sucky teenagers…"

"Speak for yourself," she teased.

"My point is, it wasn't the greatest but look at where we started there. And we turned out pretty great," he said.

"Yeah, we did," she agreed with a smile.

"So what do you say? Be my date to the reunion?" he asked.

"Chad, honey, like any other girl would be your date," Taylor laughed. "Besides I could use a break."

"Rough day at work?" Chad wondered, slipping his arm around her.

"You have no idea," she answered resting her head on his shoulder. "I swear, sometimes I feel like I'm just working with a bunch of idiots all day. They think because they have all this power they can boss everyone else around and get them to do what they want. Honestly, its like Sharpay Evans multiplied and infiltrated the American political system. And don't even get me started on the laws they wish they could pass around here. Heavier taxes, more traffic lights, fines for leaving your car running while you're getting gas…"

"I'm sorry work sucks," Chad apologized.

"It's not that work sucks, it's the people I work with that suck," she corrected. A smile crept to her face as she looked up at Chad. "But that's why I love coming home to you and the kids. It's the one time I can just relax and don't have to worry about being so serious."

"I'm knew I could help you cut loose a little," Chad joked.

Taylor giggled. "Well at least one good thing came out of my day. My boss thinks I'm ready for the big time. He said I should consider running for a position in the Senate."

"The Senate?" Chad asked.

Taylor nodded, "But it's going to be a lot of work. I'll have to prove to people that I can handle it and I've got a lot of ideas. It'll mean putting in more hours, getting a bunch of presentations together, not to mention spending all that extra time with my boss so he can help me prepare."

"Over time with you boss?" he repeated. "The one with the hair and white toothy smile?"

"And the dimples," she added. She paused and glanced at Chad. "Would you be ok with me putting in so much extra time?"

"Who, me?" Chad asked nervously. "Yeah…yeah, totally."

She looked at him doubtfully.

Chad quickly nodded. "It's fine. Go for it, Tay."

"I don't have to. If you're not comfortable with the idea, you can tell me," she said.

"Tay if it's what you wanna do then go for it. I'm fine with it, really," Chad insisted.

Taylor waited a moment before responding. "Alright. In the meantime I'm going to go put on something more comfortable." She left Chad at the couch and went upstairs to change.

But Chad still had his thoughts. He tried to let everything sink in. Taylor just got an amazing opportunity. She was a person who always had big dreams of going into politics and maybe one day even becoming president. Now she was really getting somewhere so she could accomplish that dream. So why was Chad so hesitant about her going through with it?

There was only one reason – her boss. He'd seen the guy before. Sure he seemed nice enough and everything, but he was also cocky and hit on a bunch of different women. If Taylor was going to spend so much time with him then that could mean she'd get closer to him. How many extra hours would she be putting in? A few? A lot? She could do a lot with a guy in a lot of hours. Especially with a guy that was so much more successful than Chad. A guy that probably deserved someone like Taylor more than Chad ever did.

A guy who deserved Taylor more than Chad ever did. That's when it hit him. What if this was an excuse so she could spend more time with her boss? What if she was seriously interested in this guy? That could only mean one thing – Chad was going to lose Taylor.

...

The New York City streets may have been hustling and bustling day in and day out, but there was no apartment in the city more hectic than the Evans/Leverett penthouse. Sharpay Evans had just spent the morning running lines for her next Broadway production and then she had to get fit for costumes. She was now finally able to eat lunch at half past two but even then an actress' work was never done. She had to continue answering phone calls from her agent, practice songs for the musical and pay her staff. Right now the starlet was just relieved that she was able to get a pedicure while munching on her chicken salad.

Sharpay was a woman of many things: talent, shoes, clothes, talent, money, and of course, talent. It was those things that got her far in the Broadway scene. Ever since she left New Mexico nine years ago to pursue her dream, Sharpay's career skyrocketed. She starred in A Girl's Best Friend and went onto snagging the lead roles in Wicked, Marry Poppins and We Will Rock You. Sharpay had everything a woman could ask for – a fabulous job, a great home, anything she wanted and most of all, the best support group. She constantly kept in contact with her twin brother Ryan, and by her side was her faithful and loving man, Peyton. Sharpay credited so much to that man; not only was he the one who got her a place to live when she first arrived in NYC, but he also stayed by her side and never gave up on her when things got rough. Even when she travelled around the world to perform he would always be at home waiting for her.

And Peyton could have had it just as big as Sharpay; he had the opportunity to follow his dream and become a director. After he showed his professor in college the short film he made of Sharpay and her journey onto Broadway the professor personally entered it into a prestigious film festival where it won first prize. Peyton got the opportunity of a lifetime to work for big-time directors after that, but he turned them down. Instead he chose to take an opening at NYU and become a film teacher. Sharpay never understood what it was, but she guessed Peyton simply decided he wanted to do for other students what his professor did for him back then.

Speaking of Peyton, his phone call came right on schedule. His class on Tuesdays let out at two and at two-thirty he would go to pick up their son, Jenson, from daycare. "Peyton, hi!" Sharpay squealed into her phone. "How was work?"

"Great," Peyton answered over the honing car horns. "The first half of finals for the class went swimmingly. These guys put a lot of work in during the summer session," Peyton hesitated. "As a reward, I let them watch 'The Birth of a Nation'. A decision that I now profusely regret."

"Why? Were they like battle crying the Ku Klux Clan?" She asked sarcastically.

"No, well not exactly. They were all just giggling. I love how they all treat such controversial issues with a mature attitude," Peyton said.

Sharpay stifled a laugh. "And Thursday's the last day?" she asked.

"Yes it is, and then I don't have to go back until classes start after Labor Day," he answered.

"Fabulous!" she smiled widely. "Because I'm meeting with my agent tomorrow for lunch and I would love it if you and Jenson came with me."

"Well of course, we're just too handsome to leave behind," Peyton joked.

"You're a doll, love," Sharpay replied. "So when will you boys be home?"

"In about an hour. I'm taking Jenson out for ice cream," Peyton said.

"Wonderful. And how is my baby boy doing?" she asked.

"I'll put him on," Peyton said.

Sharpay waited eagerly to talk to her son. In the background she could hear Peyton telling him in the cutest voice. "Jenson, it's Mommy. You wanna talk to her?" No one would have expected Sharpay to be a family woman, and no one especially expected her to have a son. But both happened and she couldn't be happier. She spoiled her son rotten and made sure to give him the best of everything. She especially loved taking Jenson to work with her so he could watch her perform in front of a ton of people. Jenson may only be two years old, but already Sharpay was thinking about his future. And in his future she hoped that one day the two of them would be able to perform for the world together. That, and that he would turn out as adorable as his father.

"Hi," Jenson said quietly over the phone.

"Hi Jenson! I missed you today, baby," Sharpay grinned.

"Hmmm," Jenson responded distantly.

Sharpay paused dejected. Although he was two, Jenson didn't speak much. Despite attending several lessons with a speech therapists and his parents blabbing away to him day in and out, he still would only ever string a few words together. Even then they were only when necessary. He rarely, if ever, spoke in whimsy or affection like most toddlers. Sharpay shook herself.

"How was daycare today? What did you do?" She cooed.

"Nothing," he answered.

"I'm sure you did something!" Sharpay pushed her enthusiasm to encourage him but he didn't reply. "Are you going to get ice cream with Daddy?"

"Yeah," he answered aloofly.

"Vanilla with extra sprinkles?"

"Maybe."

"Have a big scoop for me."

"Okay."

Sharpay sighed. "I love you, honey."

"Bye."

Peyton took the phone back from Jenson. "Don't take it personal babe."

"I know, I know," Sharpay responded. "It's petty and pathetic to be hurt."

"No it's not," Peyton said. "It hurts me to sometimes... You know, Einstein didn't start speaking until he was four."

Sharpay let out a small giggle "Our baby is a genius."

"Practically Newton," Peyton confirmed.

"I love you," she smiled honestly.

"Well, I love you too," he told her. "And Jenson's fine, okay? So quit worrying and just let the kid be himself. Quirks and all."

"Alright. I'll see you soon," Sharpay blew a kiss into the phone and hung up. She went back to eating her lunch and glanced down at her painted toenails. "Fabulous," she smiled to the stylist, "you may go now."

As soon as Sharpay shoed the lady off, her assistant entered the room. In her arms she was holding a light brown yorkie/spaniel mix. Upon seeing Sharpay the puppy happily wagged his tail. Sharpay saw the puppy and her eyes lit up. She held her arms out and took the dog from her assistant.

"Hi Junior," she cooed. "How's my little Boi today?"

The puppy barked happily and licked Sharpay's face.

"Boi Junior's mani/pedi is all done, Ms. Evans," the assistant said.

"Excellent, Linda. I trust Junior was a good Boi for the masseuse?" Sharpay replied.

"The best," Linda nodded. "His claws are clipped, he's been groomed and the little present he left in the bathroom has been cleaned."

"Good Boi," Sharpay kissed the puppy. She then stared into the puppy's big brown eyes. "What's wrong, Junior? You look so upset." She quickly turned back to her assistant, "Linda, tell me what's wrong with my dog right now!"

Linda jumped back in surprise of Sharpay's reaction. "Well Ms. Evans…I'm…I'm sure I have no idea."

"Don't you dare tell me nothing's wrong with my baby! Either one of them!" Sharpay threatened. "Or I will personally-"

"Understood, Ms. Evans. Clearly," she nodded quickly, not wanting to hear how Sharpay finished the statement.

"Now let's try this again, Linda. Why. Is. My. Boi. Upset?" she demanded once more, her voice having gotten louder and angrier with each word.

Linda gulped. "Maybe…he's…lonely?"

Sharpay pondered the idea. "Lonely?" she repeated and then scoffed. "I don't think so. I have everything done for Junior. I make sure he's fed, taken care of, walked, played with and not just by me. This dog is waited on hand and foot…paw, I mean." Then she let her mind wander again. Hand and foot…? Sharpay, Peyton and plenty of their staff took care of Boi Junior. Jenson was always eager to spend time with the puppy and went with someone to walk him. Was Boi Junior spending too much time with people? Did he need more puppy time?

Sharpay snapped her fingers. "Linda. First thing tomorrow call Roger. Ask him when Duchess is available for a puppy playdate. I'm sure Junior wants to spend time with one of his sisters. Make sure to spare no expense to their reunion. Treat them just the same as you would with Jenson and his playmates. I don't want anything to go wrong."

"Of course, Ms. Evans. I'll take care of it," Linda promised.

"See to it that you do," Sharpay said. She gave Boi Junior another kiss and then rested the puppy in his pink sequined basket beside her chair. She rubbed his head while he slowly drifted off to sleep. Sharpay then took another bite from her salad before turning her attention back to her assistant. "Now that that little matter is settled, what else have you got for me, Linda?"

"I've read through and organized your mail for you," she said.

"Excellent. What did I get today?" Sharpay replied.

"Mr. Leverett received his schedule for the upcoming semester. His classes are scheduled for ten a.m. and two forty-five p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, eight a.m., eleven a.m. and three-fifteen p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays," she answered. "Jenson's new video game has arrived as well; it will be set up in his room within the hour. You have eleven pieces of fan mail, your latest magazine subscription, and catalogues for Bloomingdale's and Ulta."

Sharpay raised an eyebrow, "Eleven?"

"Slow day, I'm afraid," she responded.

Sharpay nodded, "Very well. Leave them in my bedroom. I'll have a look at them after dinner."

"Already done Ms. Evans," Linda said. "Oh, and there's one final letter for you."

"What is it? "Sharpay sighed. "And please make it snappy, I am trying to eat."

"Very well, ma'am," she answered. "It's a letter from East High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Principal Matsui wrote that a reunion for the class of 2008 is scheduled for two weeks from this Saturday in the gymnasium of said high school."

"What?" Sharpay screeched, nearly choking on a piece of chicken. "Let me see that!"

"Right away, Ms. Evans." Linda responded quickly. She dashed into Sharpay's bedroom and grabbed the letter. Seconds later she handed it to Sharpay.

Sharpay snatched the letter from her assistant and began reading it to herself. They had to be kidding. A reunion in two weeks? On this such short notice? Not only was it unacceptable but also it was an outrage. How dare that school decide something at the last minute when Sharpay already had plans to take Peyton and Jenson to London to celebrate their anniversary! Sharpay was not going to stand for this. She grabbed her phone and began frantically dialing a number. In a crisis like this there was only one thing the blond beauty could do….

"RYAN!"

...

"Five, six, seven, eight…that's right, you got it!"

Ryan Evans led his group of dancers through each of the dance moves at the local theatre in a suburban Massachusetts. The music was upbeat, the dancers were spot-on, and most of all Ryan was having the time of his life. With Ryan, there was always drama somewhere. Growing up there was drama with his sister Sharpay. In college when he had the opportunity to study abroad and travel with other music students there were always fights about who was better and why got more spotlight. In the city there was always someone being rude. So the one time that Ryan felt he really got to relax was when he was doing his job. He got to choreograph moves for local productions, school productions and parties. If it were up to him, he would never leave the theatre.

Ryan took a moment to see how everyone did without him leading the way. He wandered around the studio watching each of their moves carefully. "Great job, you're doing awesome. Hey loosen up those arms a little, you're not a statue." He quickly came to one of the boys and put his hands on his hips. "Try swinging your hips like this, Geo. You'll get more guys screaming that way," he said.

Giovanni blushed, "Thanks Ryan."

"No problem. Keep it up, man," Ryan responded before finishing circling the room. He froze in his place when he saw a woman standing in the doorway. She was roughly Ryan's height and a shapely figure with long red hair. She would have looked striking in the lighting had it not been for her furious look. Ryan froze in his place staring at her. But he wasn't frozen in awe or excitement; he was more frozen in fear. Ryan stuttered before announcing to the group, "Take a break everyone. We'll pick this up in fifteen." He waited until everyone left before walking up to the woman.

"You're late," were the first words out of her mouth.

"What are you talking about, Courtney? I'm working," Ryan answered.

"First things first, take off that hat. You know I hate those things," she insisted.

Ryan rolled his eyes. He questioned what he ever saw in this woman. Then again, it wasn't like he had much time to get to know her. All it took was a week of being with her to throw his life completely off track. Now he was stuck with her.

Sure, everything was fine at first. They had everything worked out, they moved in together and Ryan was actually excited to settle down and stop travelling. But then they found out they were having twins. Being a twin himself Ryan adjusted perfectly well; it was his wife who had problems. She had no idea how to handle them. When one started crying the other cried. She didn't know who to take care of first or what was wrong with whom. Pretty soon it erupted into constant fighting between the two of them. By the time Ryan graduated from college, divorce papers were being filed.

But that wasn't the end of it, by that time the twins were starting preschool, Courtney insisted that they continue living in Massachusetts because that's where she grew up. She had family there, the twins had friends there and it would be pointless for the twins to travel across the country to see their parents every month. Ryan wanted to take the girls home to his parents in New Mexico. His plan was to work for them at Lava Spring Country Club so he could make a living for them and still be able to do what he loved. But since at the time Courtney had primary custody of the girls they had to live near each other. Ryan had been stuck in Massachusetts since. But that wasn't to say he hated it there; he made some great friends, had a great job and he was a few hours away from New York so he could visit his sister. Still, it would have been nice to go home to New Mexico more often and see his family.

Ryan reluctantly removed hot pink fedora. "What are you doing here, Courtney?"

"You were supposed to pick up the girls a half hour ago. Where were you?" she questioned.

"I just told you, I was working," Ryan answered. "Can't you see practice is running late? We've got an important show coming up."

"When are you going to give this up, Ryan? How on earth are you supporting the girls like this?" she scoffed. "It's a good thing they have me to fall back on."

"First of all, you were the one who thought my dancing was sexy seven years ago," Ryan corrected. "Second, they are not falling back on you. It's fifty/fifty custody."

"You know you only won that court case because your parents paid for everything," she rolled her eyes. "You think you can get everything you want just because you're family's rich."

"You seem to be forgetting that I don't rely on them. Everything I do here for the girls is all me. I'm on my own. I work, I pay the bills and I take care of the girls on my own," Ryan said.

"Look Ryan," Courtney hissed, "when it comes to the girls and your job, you should know that they take priority."

"They do take priority. The girls always come first, you know that," Ryan argued. "I told you that sometimes I run late, I can't have a set schedule. Why do you have to make a big deal about everything?"

"Because they're a pretty big deal," she groaned.

"I'm not denying that," Ryan fought. "But work is a pretty big deal, too. If I don't get done what needs to be done then that's less money in the paycheck which means less money for food, less money for the bills and less money for the twins. Do you want that, Courtney?"

"What I want is them to be with me!" she yelled.

Ryan glared at Courtney and pointed at her. Ryan was always a peacemaker; he wasn't one to get into fights or like to get into any drama. That was always Sharpay. Ryan was essentially her opposite. But if there was one person who could take out his feisty side and could really make him mad and push him over the edge, it was Courtney. Especially when it came to his daughters. And when Ryan got mad, everyone knew it was a big deal. Already a small crowd of dancers was starting to gather around the doorway, listening to the argument.

"Don't you dare pull that, Courtney, you know you will never get them," he insisted.

"Why don't we let the courts decide?" she put her hands on her hips.

"You know they'll never give full custody to you. If either of us relies on your family for anything it's you and you know it," he replied. "What do you do while your parents watch them at night? Huh, Courtney?"

"What I do is none of your business!"

"It's my business if you're not being a mom to my girls!"

"Our girls!"

"You really wanna take this to court?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Then do it. Take me to court and fight for the girls."

"I will. You'll regret those words, Ryan Evans!"

With that, Courtney stormed out of the theatre and slammed the door behind her.

Ryan let out a breath and tried a couple of brief breathing exercises to calm himself down. He couldn't believe it; he had fought with Courtney before but it was never as explosive as that. She went too far this time. Ryan looked around to find that he was surrounded by the dancers in an awkward silence.

Ryan cleared his throat. "That'll do it for today everyone. We'll pick this up tomorrow." He quickly grabbed his things and rushed out of the room.

"Ryan, hold up!"

Ryan stopped down the hall and let out a small sigh of relief when he heard Giovanni's voice. Giovanni was a close friend of his and Ryan felt so much calmer when he was around. It was the one person other than his sister and parents that Ryan could talk to about anything. He could tell Giovanni about tension with Courtney or how his daughters were doing. In a way Ryan envied him; Giovanni never had to deal with women or kids, let alone staying attached to an ex. Even though he never fully understood what Ryan went through he at least tried to and that's what Ryan cherished the most from him.

"Are you ok?" Giovanni asked after catching up to him.

Ryan turned to him. "Just Courtney drama. You know how it is."

"Only after every story you've told me about her," he said.

Ryan ran his fingers through his hair before putting his hat back on. "I just hope Hazel and Penny don't turn out like her. The last thing I want is for them to have her attitude."

"Worst nightmare ever," Giovanni said. "How are they, anyway?"

"Hazel kind of reminds me of Sharpay. She's always wanting to be in front of a big crowd and perform and she's all about pink and sparkles," Ryan said. "Penny…I don't know, she just seems so introverted. She keeps to herself a lot. Like when I pick them up from school, Penny runs right to me and Hazel's laughing it up or gossiping with other girls."

"So are you really going to go through with the full custody?" he asked.

"I have to. We can't keep living like this," Ryan sighed. "I just wish that Courtney would go through with this because she thinks living with her all the time is what's best for the girls. But I really think she wants to get back at me for getting fifty/fifty custody."

"Payback's a b*tch and her name is Courtney," Giovanni snapped his fingers.

Ryan let out a chuckle. "You're so right." He then reached through his jeans pocket when he heard his cell phone go off. As soon as he pulled it out and saw the caller ID he turned to Giovanni. "Hey, my sister's calling. Think we can pick this up another time?"

"Of course. Any time you need to talk, just come right over," he nodded. He turned around to head back into the studio, but not before flashing Ryan the 'call me' signal.

Ryan smiled and let out a laugh. He knew Giovanni meant well, but he never thought about him that way before. There was no time to think about anyone in a romantic way; not when he had all this fighting to do. Ryan answered his phone but before he could get a word out he heard his sister screaming on the other line.

"RYAN!"

Ryan pulled the phone back and rubbed his ear. "Hi Shar…what's up?"

"What's up? WHAT'S UP?" she demanded. "East High is asking for it, that's what's up!"

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you check the mail yet?"

"No, I've been at work all day."

"Well then check it!"

"I'm not home yet."

"Oh for Daddy's sake."

"Sharpay, what's going on? What's this about East High?" Ryan asked.

"They're hosting a reunion for our class in two weeks," she answered.

"Really? That's great," Ryan smiled. Thank God, Ryan finally had a reason to go back home and take a break from all this trouble.

"Great? That's not great, Ryan. It's terrible," she responded.

"How so?" he asked.

"The fact that this sorry excuse for a school thinks they can send us a letter last minute about a reunion!" she answered, exasperated.

"Why are you so steamed about this?" he wondered. "It's been ten years, Sharpay. It really shouldn't be that much of a surprise."

"Do you know what's in two weeks, Ry?" Sharpay questioned. "Mine and Peyton's anniversary!"

"Oh that's right," his face lit up. "Happy anniversary, sis!"

"Thanks," she rolled her eyes.

"So what's the problem? We can make it a family thing," Ryan suggested.

"The problem is, I've had plans for months set up for that weekend," she answered. "I had reservations made in London, at the hotel Peyton and I got married at. I was going to surprise him with it. And take Jenson to see the sights with us."

"What about Junior?" Ryan inquired.

"Oh, of course I was going to take him, too," Sharpay said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Oh, by the way, how's Ashlynn?" she added, referring to Boi Junior's other sibling.

"Great. She's Penny's best friend," Ryan answered.

"And my nieces?" she asked.

Ran bit his tongue. Sharpay was steamed enough about this East High trouble; there was no need to worry her with details about his family trouble. "They're good. I was just on my way to get them, actually."

"Oh," she sounded disappointed, "well then I suppose I shouldn't keep you."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Shar what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" she replied.

"I mean, it sounds like it's not just this reunion that's getting to you," he said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sharpay answered a bit too quickly.

"Shar," he sighed, "I know you. You're my sister. We tell each other everything. You can't just be mad at this last minute get-together because it alters your anniversary plans."

"But that's exactly why I'm mad," she said.

"No it's not," he replied. He paused, trying to give Sharpay a chance to come clean. But she didn't talk. "Shar, please."

Sharpay sighed. "Ry…I just…" She hesitated. There had to be a right way to say what she wanted to say. "I can't…go back to East High."

"Why not?" he questioned.

"Need I remind you? Junior year. The musical debacle? And senior year?" she told him softly. "I…I did some bad things, Ryan. You know that. Remember the winter musical? Troy and Gabriella had so much talent back then and I almost ruined it for them."

"And everything worked out in the end," he reminded her.

"Yeah, if I hadn't spent the rest of the semester plotting my revenge against them for the summer," she added. "And then the spring musical senior year…. Everyone put so much work and effort into it when I only wanted it to be about me. Do you know how close I was to getting Troy for the umpteenth time?"

"Back when you were obsessed with him?" he chuckled.

"Infatuated," she corrected. "Totally acceptable."

"Sure," he teased.

"Anyway," Sharpay continued, "my point is I screwed a lot of people over there. I know that now. And I've grown up a lot since then. So why should I bother going back there?"

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "To make up for lost time? Show them that you changed. Like I said, it's been ten years. You've changed. Maybe everyone else has, too. And I doubt that we're the only ones who have kids now. We can all bond that way. It's like a new future, Shar. If everyone else has tikes like us and they can all get along then what's stopping us from encouraging their friendships and putting the past behind us?"

Sharpay sighed. "I don't know, Ry…"

"Well, what if I was going, then?" he suggested.

"Are you?" she wondered.

"I want to," he said. "And I wanna bring Penny and Hazel, too. I wanna show them what New Mexico is like, where we grew up. And I'm sure they'd love to see Jenson, too."

"And the puppy?" she inquired.

Ryan chuckled. "Of course I'll bring Ashlynn, too. She needs to see her brother."

"Just like I need to see my brother sometimes," Sharpay admitted. She let out a sigh and thought for a minute. "I guess…I guess I can ask Peyton if he minds going to Albuquerque for the weekend."

"So you'll come to the reunion, too?" he asked hopefully.

"I'll come to see you and Mommy and Daddy," Sharpay answered. "But it doesn't mean I'm going to the reunion."

"Good enough for now," Ryan smiled lightly. "I'll see you in two weeks, sis."

...

"How long do we have to wait?" Troy asked nervously pacing back and forth down the hallway.

Troy Bolton worked well under pressure. He could call how to make the perfect final shot within the last ten seconds of a game. He could cram for a test in high school and still pull a B average. He could even put on the calmest demeanor possible and act like nothing was wrong before reporting to his angry boss. But right now the twenty-eight year old was nervous waiting for the most important result of his life – a pregnancy test.

He shouldn't need to worry about it; he had no reason to worry. He had a brilliant, loving wife of six years. They'd been together since high school and stayed strong all through college. Troy popped the question during junior year and a week after graduation they were married. Since then Troy had been travelling with the Phoenix Suns in the NBA and was even team captain. His wife, Gabriella, was a doctor at one of Arizona's best hospitals. They always talked about their day, Skyped every night Troy was away…Troy and Gabriella did pretty much everything together. It seemed like the perfect marriage.

But even the perfect marriage had their struggles. For all of those reasons that Troy didn't need to be nervous about this test; no matter how strong he and Gabriella were as a couple there was still one reason above all else for his fears.

This was their fifth pregnancy test that year.

Every time Troy was home he and Gabriella tried to make a baby. They did everything they could to get pregnant but nothing worked. Even with his wife, big house and successful career it wasn't enough for Troy; he desperately wanted to be a father and Gabriella wasn't letting him.

"Troy we've been through this four times already," Gabriella answered through the closed bathroom door. Even though she was giving the most obvious answer possible there was still nervousness in her voice. "We wait three minutes."

"Longest three minutes of my life," Troy muttered.

Gabriella sighed. "Troy please don't be like this. I want it to be positive as much as you do but right now, you're not helping."

"I can't help it Gabs, I'm nervous," Troy said. "What if it's another negative? The Suns' training starts in two months. We've spent the entire off-season trying to make a baby and nothing's worked."

"We'd still have two months," Gabriella suggested in attempt to look on the bright side.

"And if we couldn't make a baby since I've been home how are we supposed to make one in two months?" Troy retorted.

"I don't know…IV treatments?" she replied.

"What do those do?" Troy asked.

"We go to the doctor and they fertilize your sperm with my eggs. They implant a few in me and if any of them take they grow into a baby. One of my co-workers does it all the time," Gabriella explained.

"Gabs, no," Troy insisted.

"Why not? I thought we wanted this," she said.

"We do. I do," Troy told her. "But I don't want people to think we're desperate, especially the ones we know. What else would we be doing to try and get a baby?"

"I get it, Troy. Can we drop it now? This isn't helping," Gabriella said. "I'm just freaking out."

Troy folded his arms, "Sorry."

"Forget it," she responded. "Just check to see if the mail is here."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because we've got nothing else better to do for two minutes," she snapped.

There was a hesitation.

"Sorry," Gabriella apologized softly after a moment. "I'm just scared, that's all."

"It's fine. I'll go get the mail," Troy answered shortly. He went downstairs and out the front door. Troy grabbed the mail from the mailbox and skimmed through it quickly while walking back inside. Bills, bills, junk mail, bills, Macy's catalogue, letter from his mother…. Troy didn't even care what any of them said.

Unless there was a way to get pregnant fast, nothing interested him.

That is, until an envelope with a wildcat stamp caught his attention. Troy recognized the logo; it was the mascot from East High School. The last time he'd been to that place was to celebrate his dad's retirement. That was a good three years ago. Troy had no idea why he'd be getting mail from East High now. After dumping the rest of the mail on the counter Troy went back upstairs and stood outside the bathroom.

"Hey Gabs, we got something from East High," he said his voice more cheerful.

"What is it?" she inquired.

Troy opened the envelope and pulled out a letter from Principal Matsui. "It's addressed the graduating class of 2008," he answered reading through the letter. "There's a reunion for us August 18."

"Isn't that in two weeks?" she asked.

"Yeah," Troy nodded. "I guess it was decided last minute before school starts back up or something."

"Should we go?" Gabriella asked.

"Well I haven't seen Chad in ages," Troy admitted. "And I've got some time before training starts for the season."

"We can drive down there. It'll be a lot easier than struggling to get a flight last minute," Gabriella suggested.

Troy hesitated. With the way he and Gabriella had been arguing over the possibility of having kids Troy wasn't sure if he could handle being alone in a car with Gabriella. At least if they flew, no matter how long or short the flight was, he could pretend to be asleep. "Yeah but then we'd have to stop for food and bathroom breaks. Flying's just easier."

"If you're ok with spending two hours going through security and eating bad plane food," she replied. "I really think we should drive."

"It's twenty dollars for a tank of gas, Gabs," Troy sighed.

"And probably close to two hundred per person for a flight," she responded. "And we'd still have to book a hotel. At least then we don't have to rely on taxis to get us everywhere."

"What about my folks? If we call them I'm sure they'll be thrilled to take us in," Troy suggested.

Gabriella sighed. "Troy, I don't know…what about us time?"

"It's only for a weekend. And we'll have plenty of time once we get back," he said.

"For a month?" she asked doubtfully.

"Or two," he corrected. "C'mon Gabs, what's wrong with my folks?"

"Nothing!" she gasped. Gabriella quickly cleared her throat and softened her voice, "Nothing."

"Alright then. I'll give them a call and let them know what we're doing," Troy said. He went into the bedroom and sat on the bed. Troy sighed, questioning when dealing with Gabriella became such a hassle. It must have been because they were so stressed over the thought of babies. Maybe if they stopped worrying about it so much, then they'd be able to make one, but Troy wasn't sure how much longer he could wait. And he really didn't want to hear his parents ask about having grandkids the entire weekend in New Mexico. The picked up the phone and started dialing his dad's number when he looked in the doorway. There stood Gabriella, holding the pregnancy test in her hand. Troy stared at her, her eyes down on the stick. He waited anxiously for the final answer, hoping that this time it would be positive. But when Gabriella slowly lifted her head to look at him, she was sad and disappointed. It was the fifth time Troy had seen that look; it was the look that made both of them think something was wrong and any one word could push Gabriella off the edge and make her cry hysterically. With all the bickering they did over this one subject, both were hoping that they could finally put it to rest and focus on something positive. But it was the same as the last four times – the same look, the same reaction and the same tone of voice, barely above a whisper.

"It's negative."


End file.
